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Hagfish, of the class Myxini / m ɪ k ˈ s aɪ n aɪ / (also known as Hyperotreti) and order Myxiniformes / m ɪ k ˈ s ɪ n ɪ f ɔːr m iː z /, are eel-shaped jawless fish (occasionally called slime eels). Hagfish are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column, although they do have rudimentary vertebrae. [3]
The sea lamprey has an eel-like body without paired fins. Its mouth is jawless, round and sucker-like, and as wide or wider than the head; sharp teeth are arranged in many concentric circular rows around a sharp, rasp-like tongue. There are seven branchial or gill-like openings behind the eye. Sea lampreys are olive or brown-yellow on the ...
Deep-sea diving equipment is known to have been fouled by large amounts of hagfish slime near the bottom of the ocean, extruded by the eel-like fish when they are alarmed. The slime comprises mature thread cells, up to 10 cm (4 in) long that are coiled and thread-like. [13]
In British folklore, the monster known as the Lambton Worm may have been based on a lamprey, since it is described as an eel-like creature with nine eyes. [citation needed] In Japanese, lamprey are called yatsume-unagi (八つ目鰻, "eight-eyed eels"), thus excluding the nostril from the count. [citation needed]
This makes the fish very unsavory to predators, and can even be used to clog the gills of predatory fish. Pacific hagfish can create large amounts of slime in just minutes. [7] The slime is notoriously difficult to remove from fishing gear and equipment, and has led to Pacific fishermen bestowing the nickname of 'slime eel' on the species. [8]
There is only one order and family in this animal class. All of the 77 known species have elongated, eel-like bodies but can be distinguished by their downward-facing mouths. The largest form is the Goliath hagfish (Eptatretus goliath). This species can range up to 1.28 m (4.2 ft) in length and weigh to 6.2 kg (14 lb). [19]
Additionally, there are differences in the lateral line system among different types of hagfish. Instead of having a simple form of a lateral system like the hagfish Eptatretus, an adult Myxine glutinosa has no lateral line system. [10] Scientists often compare Hagfish and lampreys because both are referred to as jawless fish (agnathans).
The term "eel" is also used for some other eel-shaped fish, such as electric eels (genus Electrophorus), swamp eels (order Synbranchiformes), and deep-sea spiny eels (family Notacanthidae). However, these other clades , with the exception of deep-sea spiny eels, whose order Notacanthiformes is the sister clade to true eels, evolved their eel ...